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As our final piece of the "Where I Come From" series, Bob and I were asked to discuss our expectations for the Colorado Buffaloes 2010 football season. College fans, probably more than any other sport, start each season overly optimistic and, for 90% of the teams in the FBS, with rather unrealistic expectations. It's what makes the sport great, and makes the summer a slow boil, counting down the days until the season starts on Labor Day weekend. To sit down and really think about my expectations I tried (but didn't succeed) to be objective and lay out how I think the season will play out.
Sat, Sep 04
Colorado State
at Denver, Colo.
12 p.m.
The Mtn.
Sat, Sep 11
California
at Berkeley, Calif.
1:30 p.m.
FSN
Sat, Sep 18
HAWAI'I
BOULDER
1:30 p.m.
FCS
Sat, Oct 02
GEORGIA
BOULDER
2:30 p.m.
FSN
Sat, Oct 09
*Missouri
at Columbia, Mo.
TBA
Sat, Oct 16
*BAYLOR
BOULDER
TBA
Sat, Oct 23
*TEXAS TECH
BOULDER
TBA
Sat, Oct 30
*Oklahoma
at Norman, Okla.
TBA
Sat, Nov 06
*Kansas
at Lawrence, Kan.
TBA
Sat, Nov 13
*IOWA STATE
BOULDER
TBA
Sat, Nov 20
*KANSAS STATE
BOULDER
TBA
Fri, Nov 26
*Nebraska
at Lincoln, Neb.
1:30 p.m.
ABC
Non-conference: The Buffaloes should get out of these four games with at least a 2-2 record, but as we have seen the last two seasons that is absolutely not a given. Does the word Toledo ring a bell? If Hawk is planning on getting the Buffs back to a bowl game and possibly keeping his job then he will need to beat Colorado State and Hawaii. A slip up in either one of those games would not only set them back in the win loss column, but it would damage the fans outlook on the season and create one heck of a mountain to climb to bowl eligibility. On the other hand, a win over either Georgia or Cal, both doable if unlikely, and a 3-1 record heading into Big 12 play could create a wave of optimism and some real momentum heading into a manageable conference schedule.
Conference: This is one of the best Big 12 schedules that the Buffs have received in the last few years. They get the games they can, and should win at home and the games that look a bit more difficult on the road. The way it sets up, if the Buffs can take care of business at home, and maybe steal one win on the road, they would be looking at a 7-5 record and a sure invite to a solid bowl game. The conference is down and CU is going to miss two of the better teams in the South in Texas and Texas A&M.
Outlook: I'm going to go with wins against Colorado State and Hawaii, and close, hard fought losses to both Georgia and California. I think that we will go 3-1 in the Big 12 at home, I would love to go unbeaten in conference but I just don't have the faith to call for it. The Buffs will slip up against either Baylor or Texas Tech. On the road the Buffaloes will end up 1-3 with losses to Missouri, Oklahoma and Nebraska and a win against Kansas. That would be good enough for a 6-6 record and a birth in a low-level bowl. A few of the games I picked as losses are most definitely winnable if the defense performs up to expectations and we can get the running game going. I feel really good about this season and I truly believe that this team is going to surprise a lot of people. But, as I mentioned above, I'm pretty sure I say that every year...
What about all of you? How do you think the 2010 season will go?